Strange Tales of Liao Zhai: Xiao Xie and Qiu Rong, and a few random dorama bits

[meganbmoore]

It seems that I alternatively adore and like quite a bit but find a touch too odd for me the Liao Zhai stories(we'll see if the last story, A Bao, continues the trend) This one, like Xiao Cui(what IS it was these stories and heroines with "Xiao in their names?  Someone who knows more about such things should fill me in to any significance there)  Sets up a story of incredible cuteess, piles on tons of angst(romantic and otherwise) then gives you a happy ending.  In this one, a man named Tao Wang San wants to marry a rich girl named Qian Qian.  Before he can do so, he has to live in a haunted house  whose ghosts are supposed to be especially cruel and mischevious.  The ghosts are actually female ghosts(and one young boy who really serves no purpose except to let us know that they don't hate ALL men at the beginning of the story) ho all seem to have been wronged in the past, and the fact that men tend to sneak thier lovers into the house for trysts and make false promises there doesn't help their opinion.

Tao Wang San, however, treats the ghosts like people to respect and protect and soon earns their friendship, even-if strained-that of their leader, Qiu Rong- and they enter into a comfortable if unconventional domestic life and the ghosts help in in his pursuit of Qian Qian, even though Tao Wang San ang one of the ghost, Xiao Zie, have fallen in love(though he, of course, is completely oblivious to it and the only one who seems to be completely aware of it is Qiu Rong)  However, one day, Qian Qian, convinced Tao Wang San is keeping a mistress there(really, she's not all that far off...) discovers an old painting of Qiu Rong and Qiu Rong remembers that the reason she was at the house(the other ghosts came to her as a response to her loneliness and stayed) was because she was murdered by Qian Qian's ancestor, and her search for answers unintentionally leads to Tao Wang San being framed for murder.  And there the angst comes in.  The ending itself, though I was expecting it much earlier, was a touch trite, but hey, it needed a happy ending(at certain times, sad endings are just flatout mean)

Also, there I was, happily watching ep 4 of Liar Game and it just STOPPED about 15 minutes in and the files just won't join right.  This happened to me in ep 1, also.  *sulks and frets*  And it was going so WELL...the S&M convo alone...

Also, I'm thinking about placing a dorama order in the next day or two, if not tonight.  I'm looking at but can't get all of:

cdrama:

Return of the Condor Heroes
Romance of Red Dust
Shades of Truth
Treasure Raiders
Twin of Brothers

tdrama:

Tokyo Juliet
Devil Does Exist

kdrama:

Green Rose
Queen of the Game
Lovers
Seo Dong Yo part 1

jdramas:

Attention Please
Hana Yori Dango 2
Nodame Cantible
Taiyo no Kisetsu

Opinions?

Comments

[akosikae.livejournal.com]

Return of the Condor Heroes - I love how the two lead characters are innocent to society's rules and trying to be together and the waiting for 6 or 16 (?) years.

Devil Does Exist - Because Rainie Yang is so bubbly and cute.

Queen of the Game - Just sounds interesting.

Hana Yori Dango 2 - Shota! 'Nuff said.

Nodame Cantible - Just because I love the classical concerts and you can feel the energy and emotion even though it's acting.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

It ended up:

Return of Condor Hero'06
Devil Besides You
Lovers
Hana Yori Dango II'07
Taiyo no Kisetsu '02
Green Rose
Queen Of Game
Shades Of Truth'05
(The) Storm Riders

So, fairly close

[lydzi-de-galles.livejournal.com]

Nodame Cantabile!!!!! It's a must see :). The music, the characters, the crack but also the spot on actors. Everything is perfect in it :).

Hana Yori Dango Live 2 was fairly enjoyable, mainly because F4 is love no matter what. I still found the scenario a little bit stretching and unbelievable but it's the manga's fault so no complaint :).
I don't know the rest ^^. Well I know Attention Please but never saw it ^^.